Bassett, the ‘heritage
engine’ of the Small Railway is nearing the end of his overhaul and is appointed to take a special train for a group
of miniature railway enthusiasts. Mike on the other hand is appointed to take the school trains. Usually, it is one of the
Diesels that take the School Train and when Mike is coupled upto the train, the schoolchildren’s adverse reaction to
Mike enrages the fiery red engine! Bassett meanwhile is due to take out his special train of enthusiasts, much to Mike’s
envy. Alas, up the line a gang of schoolchildren, armed with a tin of boot polish seek revenge on Mike for “taking away
their diesels”. Unfortunatly it is poor old Bassett who ends up wheel-slipping, and is stuck until Mike arrives to help
out. The boys are caught and made to clean the tracks – but to Mike and Bassett’s bewilderment, things don’t
go quite as expected...

FLOCK OF BOTHER

Written by Clay / Edited
by Ryan

Bert is asked to take
another Enthusiast’s special – amidst jests about his time with the Clergymen. At the Station, Bert is pleased
to be recognised so like a film star “like Bert Reynolds” quips his Driver – but privately, Bert hopes nothing
goes wrong, especially anything involving rainwater!At the top Station, all is well for Bert until Rex provokes a simmering
fury with a joke. As a result Bert makes heavy weather of his return trip with the enthusiasts and ends up scaring a flock
of birds, in turn scaring his passengers and derailing a coach. However, with the enthusiast’s cooperation, the coach
is rerailed and the group enjoy their adventure. As for Rex, his joke doesn’t go down too well with Bert when he
reveals the punchline...

A QUICK TURNAROUND

Written by RyanThe
Big Engines of the Little Western are in difficulty as their beloved turntable is out of action – and the Scottish Twins
are particularly disgruntled about it. On the other side of the wall, the Small Engines are looking on with amusement –
Rex and Mike proud that they would never have to run tender first, and Sigrid and Ivan smugly being thankful for their double-cabbed
designs. A few weeks later finds Sigrid in trouble when she topples over on the turntable, rendering it unusable,
and a fleet of Small steam Engines in disarray at the thought of backward running. However, it is Ivan and Frank who step
in to take action- by taking the next train and to start salvage operations respectively – but Rex still has to grudgingly
submit to the indignity of a ‘tender-first run’. Sigrid is rescued from the turntable unharmed, but the other
engines question the point of her two cabs if she didn’t see her come-uppance coming! This was based loosely on
an incident from 1999 at the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, where Shelagh of Eskdale came off the turntable and toppled sideways...
thankfully, the measures taken here to keep trains running were not employed.

THE SPARE WHEEL

Written by Clay / Edited
by Ryan

Rex is heading out on a Drivers
Experience charter train but Jock is in a glum mood, noting that he rarely if ever gets to be in charge of any special trains.
Nothing Frank or Bert say can cheer him up.Jock takes a normal train out but as the weather – and his mood improves,
disaster strikes when one of his wheels breaks off. After his Crew find it, Jock gamely struggles on to the next station without
the wheel, to everyone’s approval. As for not being special, a newspaper article a few weeks after changes everything...!